"I believe there is a concerted effort going on to take down one way or another all of the GLP fora and it's being done through their favorite game, Diplomacy. Diplomacy is a cut-throat game where no one is to be trusted and the only thing that counts is winning. Friends or foe are as likely to be taken to lay claim to winner."

Diplomacy is based on an actual board game, though the "seven players" rule may not apply. The variants involve toppling real people rather than fantasy countries.

The players, having squashed video cartons for so long, gloss over the damage they cause by alleging that "words on a screen" have no impact. The fact that they engage one-on-one, in a deceptively sincere fashion, with the people behind the "words on a screen" is conveniently ignored.

Random gleanings:

"Players entice, wheedle, bluff, cajole and threaten."

"Secret negotiations and secret agreements are used to form partnerships."

"Diplomacy represents a mastery of social skills. Charisma, personal charm and intellect are great assets when combined with a detached desire to make the kill."

"Cheating is actively encouraged. Players are expected to listen in to private conversations, change other players' written words and anything else they can get away with. Lying and backstabbing is prevalent."

"Employ deceit. The goal is to build the happiness of the person being played up to the maximum level, using abilities such as "dazzling smile" and "shoulder to lean on," as well as the aforementioned "swagger", to achieve this goal. Then stab. The effect can be quite noticeable."

"It's a well-documented fact that people can become a bunch of douche bags when playing Diplomacy. They will go to great lengths to cheat, exploit, harass, and simply inconvenience in any way they can."

"Diplomacy is a game of psychology, and, each player has more than one face. You are the despicable back-stabber AND the (currently) supportive friend. Each person is a potential ally and a potential enemy."

"If you grew up playing Diplomacy, you always feel the need to crush others through dominant and ruthless strategy'

"Luck plays no part in Diplomacy. Cunning and cleverness, disarming honestyand perfectly timed betrayal are the tools needed to outwit your fellow players. The most skillful negotiator will climb to victory over the backs of both enemies and friends."

"Serious players play to win in whatever Machiavellian style that works"

"The key of Diplomacy is to betray the other players -- and your friends -- before they betray you, but only after you've gotten what you need from them."

"There's also the potential of earning money, often more in working for other players. That's where the real money is."

"I believe there is a concerted effort going on to take down one way or another all of the GLP fora and it's being done through their favorite game, Diplomacy. Diplomacy is a cut-throat game where no one is to be trusted and the only thing that counts is winning. Friends or foe are as likely to be taken to lay claim to winner."

Sounds like fun. Just not my kind of fun.

QUOTE

Diplomacy is based on an actual board game, though the "seven players" rule may not apply. The variants involve toppling real people rather than fantasy countries.

I sucked at "Monopoly" and flailed at "Go Fish." My modus operandi in real life isn't built on toppling people so the idea at any level simply doesn't appeal to me.

QUOTE

The players, having squashed video cartoons for so long, gloss over the damage they cause by alleging that "words on a screen" have no impact. The fact that they engage one-on-one, in a deceptively sincere fashion, with the people behind the "words on a screen" is conveniently ignored.

The words on the screen don't mean shit. Most of them are words I've said about myself. Big fucking deal. When I leave a window open and the flies get too annoying to eat, sleep or do anything else I shut the window. I'm not referring to the forum "window" (i.e. the ban button) but my own personal window at the forum (kind of like Omph's post thread title the other day - "should I stay or should I go now." It simply isn't worth the constant swatting required to have exchanges with other people.

QUOTE

Random gleanings:

"Players entice, wheedle, bluff, cajole and threaten."

"Secret negotiations and secret agreements are used to form partnerships."

To what gain? To make myself feel better at the expense of someone else? No thanks.

QUOTE

"Diplomacy represents a mastery of social skills. Charisma, personal charm and intellect are great assets when combined with a detached desire to make the kill."

Make the kill? Why? Because I'm that bored with myself that I have to siphon off of someone else? I was in sales. Although a certain amount of strategy was involved in making a sale it certainly wouldn't have ever behooved me to "kill off" the client. But as some say around here "have fun with that."

Fear? I live smack dab in the middle of one of the nation's terror targets. Misinformation? I get enough of that in real life via the MSM.

QUOTE

"Cheating is actively encouraged. Players are expected to listen in to private conversations, change other players' written words and anything else they can get away with. Lying and backstabbing is prevalent."

Oh. Okay. Well, I guess I'm too much of a mother - versus motherfucker - to ascribe to this philosophy. Plus, that shit is just way too complicated for me to ever keep up with or moreover want to keep up with.

QUOTE

"Employ deceit. The goal is to build the happiness of the person being played up to the maximum level, using abilities such as "dazzling smile" and "shoulder to lean on," as well as the aforementioned "swagger", to achieve this goal. Then stab. The effect can be quite noticeable."

If any of you knew me in real life you would understand how ludicrous this sounds. Suffice it to say - the wounds I wield upon myself make this make this shit sound like child's play.

QUOTE

"It's a well-documented fact that people can become a bunch of douche bags when playing Diplomacy. They will go to great lengths to cheat, exploit, harass, and simply inconvenience in any way they can."

Okay. That sounds familiar. I live in Los Angeles and even my dentist tried to screw me over. Whatevah. They take their "hypocritic" oath seriously out here.

QUOTE

"Diplomacy is a game of psychology, and, each player has more than one face. You are the despicable back-stabber AND the (currently) supportive friend. Each person is a potential ally and a potential enemy."

Sounds like a couple ex-husbands I had.

QUOTE

"If you grew up playing Diplomacy, you always feel the need to crush others through dominant and ruthless strategy'

I was far more enthralled with my Texaco pogo stick and a racy Harold Robbins book hidden under my mom's dresser. In fact, one time I found some condoms in my dad's nightstand and opened them up just for shits and giggles. I've always enjoyed the simple phallic pleasures in life.

QUOTE

"Luck plays no part in Diplomacy. Cunning and cleverness, disarming honestyand perfectly timed betrayal are the tools needed to outwit your fellow players. The most skillful negotiator will climb to victory over the backs of both enemies and friends."

Sounds like the services of an online chiropractor are needed. Or a good colonic irrigator.

QUOTE

"Serious players play to win in whatever Machiavellian style that works"

I had a boss one time who was a lot like that. Just for spite I left the organization and the chaos resulting in my leaving was enough for him to lose his own job within nine months. Suffice it to say - I've had enough of that crap in the real business world.

QUOTE

"Serious players play to win in whatever Machiavellian style that works" "The key of Diplomacy is to betray the other players -- and your friends -- before they betray you, but only after you've gotten what you need from them."

Need? In terms of what? LOL!

QUOTE

"There's also the potential of earning money, often more in working for other players. That's where the real money is."

I have a feeling my idea of real money and the "real money" spoken of here is vastly different.

QUOTE

And so much more.

Huh. Well, I lost interest about the time I typed "flailing Go Fish player" but then my anal-retentive, obsessive compulsive tendencies kicked in and I felt the need to finish the post.

It's all entertainment for me on most levels but that doesn't make it a game - at least not for me and certainly not with these parameters.

This has been a fun way to spend a couple of months and I've had a lot of laughs. Plus, I've learned some interesting things - i.e. I wasn't familiar with theosophy or orgone/anti-matter, the Sumerians, etc. and a lot of these subjects have been stimulating enough for me too look elsewhere for some answers I've been trying to find in my own life.

Believe me - even with seeing the IP numbers I've never been able to figure out the gameplayers. Maybe because I was too busy just enjoying the exchanges.

Interesting stuff all of this. For anyone who thinks I'm one of the people behind the curtain - I'm not. I take everyone here at face value. And I've said it before - mine is the short bus of shit lists.

For anyone who thinks I'm one of the people behind the curtain - I'm not.

To jump to the end first: I don't believe that thought would cross anyone's mind, leia, Certainly not mine.

QUOTE (leia @ Aug 5 2005, 10:13 PM)

QUOTE

The players, having squashed video cartoons for so long, gloss over the damage they cause by alleging that "words on a screen" have no impact. The fact that they engage one-on-one, in a deceptively sincere fashion, with the people behind the "words on a screen" is conveniently ignored.

The words on the screen don't mean shit.

I understand or agree with everything else you've said, but this.

Note that I am not speaking of words on a forum screen, but words exchanged in private, lies used to garner trust with the deliberate and malicious intent of violating it, snares deliberately laid to elicit the exchange of information for nefarious purposes.

Using a person's best qualities -- optimism, tolerance, open-heartedness -- as exploitable weaknesses, all for the sake of a game ... or perhaps with even more depraved ends in mind...